The symptoms of cellulitis can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your initial symptoms?

I hit my left leg on a rusty metal bar sticking out in a field, 10 days ago. It was painful but I didn't pay much attention to it then. Four days later my leg was swollen. I don"t like to slow down, which didn"t help, but I went to the doctor who gave me antibiotics; leg is still swollen with blood and pus from cellulitis. I"m resting now, with leg up and being patient. After all, I am my own doctor.

I had been feeling really tired over the period of a day or two. I slept in late and woke up late afternoon, and had a slight pain in my right breast/armpit area. Within an hour or two the pain got a lot worse, I had really bad chills and shaking, all my joints/muscles hurt, and I had a fever of almost 103. That night, the pain spread to my chest and shoulder, making it really painful to take a deep breath. My breast was swollen, hot, and streaked with pink. I went to the hospital the next morning and was put on an antibiotic IV for four days and am now on an oral antibiotic treatment. I had nipple piercings so the doctors say that the right piercing was the source of the cellulitis.

I first felt tired and lethargic, went home to sleep, and couldn't sleep. Within 3 hours I developed a lump in my groin lymph node. I went to the emergency room, they ran blood tests and I had fever and chills and was put on IV antibiotic for 4 days. I developed red rash on lower leg next morning, burning hot but no wound, I'm not sure how I got it. I was sent home with ten days of oral antibiotic, not improved so I had 6 days of IV antibiotic, then 5 days oral again, now on another 5 days of oral; the redness has reduced but not gone. It helped to draw a line around rash to monitor movement. I am still feel wiped out, leg still swollen and I have to rest often and elevate. I got on to this cellulitis very quickly - it is a serious condition - don't wait, get it treated quickly. I have been advised I may need several weeks more of antibiotics.

I had been in a car accident two years earlier and my right leg was broken so badly that we talked about amputation. I was stubborn and wanted to keep my leg. What a mistake that was... I had an ulcer that developed and everyday it got worse. I kept it clean and dressed only to go to the doctor every week to have him look at it and tell me that I needed a skin graft. Too many surgeries in a short time had left my ankle swollen and useless. I developed a fever of 102 that rose to 104 quickly one morning and could not stop vomiting. Nothing stayed down and all I wanted to do was sleep. I went to the emergency room directly the next morning after my leg turned purple. They diagnosed with cellulitis and showed me where the fluid was green and yellow and came out when they pinched the skin together. I stayed in the hospital for two months on IV antibiotics and came home with a home health care nurse on IV antibiotics. I lost my leg in the end anyway and it was for the best.

On November 13, 2013 I was fine. I had a slight wound on my left ankle and I covered it with Neosporin and a Band-Aid. By the afternoon, I could not push the clutch in on my truck. I got home and looked at it and it was red and swollen, very painful. I went to the emergency room. They kept me and put me on Keflex IV, along with endomycin. On November 18, they did surgery and put a charcoal vacuum pump to drain the ankle, my foot looked like it was going to explode. On November 20, they removed the pump and left me with a 4 inch incision parallel to my Achilles tendon. Today is December 26 and it is healing. I can walk now, but still have ways to go on the incision. This happened so fast and hurt so much. They told me if I had waited it could have been much worse. The surgeon who treated me saved my life and my leg.

Mine is under my arm; it is the size of a silver dollar, hard and a little red. I am sick to my stomach, very stiff, my whole body aches and I am very fatigued. I find it very hard to breathe at times and I walk everywhere. I get sweats and night chills at times.

My first experience with cellulitis was, I shaved and then went swimming in the lake. I thought nothing of it, till about 3 days later. I never experienced fever and chills but I had hot and cold flashes. I thought it was just a bad case of the flu so I took a shower. That night my leg swelled up and got so red, so fast. Elevating it felt good but as soon as I got up, the pain was unbearable. I ended up seeing a doctor and she gave me antibiotics but it wasn't till 2 weeks or more was I able to stand on my feet for long periods of time. That was 2 years ago. I recently am recovering from another cellulitis outbreak on the opposite leg. I am just wondering if once I get it am at risk in getting it again.

Patient Comments are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified health provider because of something you have read on MedicineNet. The opinions expressed in the comments section are of the author and the author alone. MedicineNet does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.

If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.